


Feliciano and the Seven Germanics

by frosting



Series: Once Upon a Tomato (Hetalia Fairy Tales) [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Snow White Fusion, Crack, M/M, Pasta, Romance, Sibling Rivalry (one-sided), Snow White Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 23:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15035657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frosting/pseuds/frosting
Summary: “Ugh, he’s so childish!” Lovino spat. “With his stupid ‘ve~’s and his stupid big doe eyes and his stupid lazy habits. What a stupid baby!”“I wouldn’t call himlazy,” Toris countered, hesitantly. “After all, he does most of the cleaning in the palace.”“Tch!” Lovino scoffed. “That’s just because he’s avoiding his royal duties! And he’s a stupid-head who actuallylikescleaning. That’s what we pay the servants to do! Now they just laze around because he does all their work for them.”“He also helps out in the kitchen….”“All he does there is make pasta! Pasta for every fucking meal! I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love pasta, but that doesn’t mean I want to eat if for every fucking meal, every fucking day!”“He also entertains the guests….”“He distracts them and goofs off! He inflicts his stupid, annoying person and his stupid, awful singing on them! He’s not funny or cute at all!”“He—”“Shut up!” Lovino snapped. “If you say another fucking word, I’ll give you to Feliks.”





	Feliciano and the Seven Germanics

**Author's Note:**

> The great thing about fairy tale AUs is that even though the stories are cliché at this point, everyone can have a slightly different take on the same story, which makes them kind of exciting, at least to me.
> 
> I’ve had this story written for a while, but I was waiting to post it until I had a few other stories in the series written. But now I’m finally ready. Yay!

There once was an emperor who had conquered a great deal of land and amassed a huge kingdom. Unfortunately, this king was quite prone to drinking and gallivanting about, and thus he often spent most of his time partying in taverns, going home with strangers, and wandering lost and drunk in the streets.

While the great emperor of Rome avoided his responsibilities, the task of running the kingdom was left to his two sons, Lovino and Feliciano. The brothers were separated in age by a year and were often mistaken as twins. The elder, Lovino, was ambitious and foul mouthed, and although he liked talking with others, he came off as angry and antisocial. The younger, Feliciano, was nearly his opposite; friendly, carefree, and not politically motivated. Whenever diplomats or neighboring kings visited the castle, they always praised Feliciano for his hospitality and amiability and avoided Lovino outside of official exchanges and business interactions.

This led to Lovino becoming intensely envious of Feliciano. Every day he sulked and complained about his younger brother to his magic mirror, named Toris.

“Ugh, he’s so childish!” Lovino often spat. “With his stupid ‘ _ve~_ ’s and his stupid big doe eyes and his stupid lazy habits. What a stupid baby!”

“I wouldn’t call him _lazy_ ,” Toris countered once, hesitantly. “After all, he does most of the cleaning in the palace.”

“Tch!” Lovino scoffed. “That’s just because he’s avoiding his royal duties! And he’s a stupid-head who actually _likes_ cleaning. That’s what we pay the servants to do! Now they just laze around because he does all their work for them.”

“He also helps out in the kitchen….”

“All he does there is make pasta! Pasta for every fucking meal! I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love pasta, but that doesn’t mean I want to eat if for every fucking meal, every fucking day!”

“He also entertains the guests….”

“He distracts them and goofs off! He inflicts his stupid, annoying person and his stupid, awful singing on them! He’s not funny or cute at all!”

“He—”

“Shut up!” Lovino snapped. “If you say another fucking word, I’ll give you to Feliks.”

Toris’s face in the mirror paled, becoming more transparent. “Oh god, please don’t do that. He would spend all day trying on outfits and asking me what I think. I can’t handle him for more than thirty minutes at a time. I’d die!”

Lovino smirked at the horrified mirror. “Well, just keep your mouth shut and your head down, and nothing will happen.”

* * *

Despite Lovino’s jealousy, he did love his brother… deep, deep down in his heart. Surely. Somewhere in there. However, Lovino was not the kind of person who consulted the depths of his heart before making an impulsive and rage-induced decision.

So after an unfortunate and humiliating incident involving pasta, wine, the royal tailor Feliks, and a cat—an incident of which we will never speak—Lovino had reached his limit. In a fit of poor judgment, he stormed off to the woods where there lived an (arguably) evil witch named Arthur. Arthur lived in a nice but slightly creepy cottage on the edge of the forest where he sold sold spells, curses, herbs, and awful-tasting medicines. He also sold tea and pastries, but the baked goods were even worse than the medicines.

Although the social circles of a witch and a prince rarely cross, Arthur and Lovino shared an unspoken camaraderie, for both desperately wanted to connect with people but couldn’t seem to escape their isolation. In other words, they were both hopeless tsunderes.

“ _Strega_!” Lovino yelled as he burst into Arthur’s hut. “I need to get rid of Feliciano!”

Arthur happened to be in the middle of tea time and was quite startled by this interruption. His full-body jerk caused him to spill tea all over himself. After recovering his wits and evaporating the spilled tea with magic, he turned to Lovino, his eyebrows twitching erratically with irritation. “Oh, well, _that’s_ such a surprise,” he said with obvious sarcasm. “No, really, I would _never_ have expected this.”

“Stuff it,” snapped Lovino.

“Prick,” Arthur scowled back. “Whatever. What kind of disappearance?”

“I don’t care! I just want him gone!”

“Fine,” said Arthur. “Send him on an errand near here, I’ll take care of it. But it’ll cost you.”

“I’ll bring you my homemade lasagna,” Lovino bargained.

“Deal.”

* * *

Later that day, Lovino found Feliciano playing with a cat in the garden. The younger boy was rolling in the grass with the cat clutched in his arms. Lovino put a stop to this disgraceful and disgusting behavior by stomping on Feliciano’s head.

“Ow! Ve~, Fratello, stop iiiiit!”

“Get up, you useless excuse of a lump!” Lovino ordered. “We need mushrooms for pizza, so you’d better get your ass to the forest and get some for dinner tonight!”

Feliciano whined, but stood up and saluted. “Okay! I love pizza with mushrooms! Let’s go mushroom hunting, Kitty! Ve~!” With that, he skipped away with the cat in his arms.

Lovino watched him go and considered for a moment that it had been too easy. Then he reminded himself that it was Arthur’s job to get rid of him for good and went back into the palace.

Feliciano headed to the woods, singing the entire way. As he passed Arthur’s hut, the witch watched him from the window. Arthur had been planning on turning the prince into a tree or something, but when he saw the cat in his arms, he had another idea. He turned a rock into a mouse and set the rodent loose outside.

The enchanted mouse ran toward Feliciano and darted through his feet. The cat, which had been lazily cleaning itself, saw the mouse and was consumed by bloodlust. It jumped out of Feliciano’s arms and chased the mouse further into the woods.

“Kitty!” Feliciano wailed. “Kitty, come back, ve~!” The man-child chased after the cat with arms outstretched, trying to catch it.

And so the prince chased the cat that was chasing the mouse and the mouse ran into the woods. The strange follow-the-leader group ran deep into the wilderness, over logs and under trees, twisting around boulders and scrambling up hillsides. Finally, the mouse changed back into a rock and the cat stopped in confusion and Feliciano tripped over the cat and fell on his face.

“Owww… ve….”

Feliciano sat up and picked up the cat, then finally looked around at his surroundings. “Oh no! I’m lost! Veee, Fratello will be so angry at me…” he whimpered. Frantically, he tried to recount the chase in order to find his way back, but he hadn’t been paying attention to where he’d been going; he’d only been focused on the cat. The enormity of his predicament hit him, and he began to cry.

“I’m going to die! I’m going to die all alone in the woods! I’m so scared, ve!”

Luckily for Feliciano, he wasn’t alone in the woods. A group of seven huntsmen and woodsmen lived nearby, and happened to be passing Feliciano on their way home. When they heard the crying, they took a detour to investigate.

“You!” the leader of the group, a large, blond man, yelled at Feliciano when they reached the clearing where he was crying. “Who are you and what are you doing here? You have sixty seconds to answer before I cut off your feet!”

Feliciano was terrified by these new arrivals, but he was more afraid of dying alone, so he threw himself at the blond man, wrapping around his torso with an unbreakable koala-bear hug. “Ve~, I’m saved! I was lost, but you found me, so you’ll definitely help me get home, right! Ve~!”

The only reason Feliciano didn’t get brained right then and there was that the man, Ludwig, didn’t know how to handle affection from a complete stranger and his brain shut down. His big brother, Gilbert, quickly recognized his condition and broke the leech’s grip to get it off.

“Oi, shitty brat!” Gilbert said, shaking Feliciano in the air with one hand. “You broke Ludwig, who happens to be our chef most of the time, so you have to come home with us and make us dinner as an apology! Also, who are you and what are you doing here?!”

Suddenly, Gilbert was hit on the head with the flat edge of a sword. “You’re scaring him,” Elizabeta said, taking the sobbing boy from his grip. As Gilbert crumpled in a cursing pile to the ground, she placed a comforting hand on Feliciano’s shoulder and smiled at him. “Hello! We’re the Seven Germanics. I’m Elizabeta, the white-haired asshole is Gilbert, the one you broke is Ludwig, the guy with the shotgun is Vash, the girl next to him is Lili, the guy panting in the back is Roderich, and the cat on his head is Germany Cat. What’s your name?”

Feliciano visibly brightened. “Ve, I’m Feliciano! I went into the woods to get mushrooms for dinner, but my cat suddenly ran into the woods and I was trying to catch him! Now I’m lost and I don’t know how to get home!”

“Where do you live?” Elizabeta asked kindly.

“The big house!”

Elizabeta blinked. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

Feliciano shrugged sheepishly and replied, “I don’t remember my address….”

“So we picked up an idiot,” Vash scoffed. “We should just get rid of him before he causes trouble for us.”

“That’s not very nice, Bruder,” Lili admonished quietly. “He looks nice.”

Vash tried to resist the puppy dog eyes, but it was no use. He sighed. “Fine, he can come home with us. But only for one night! Tomorrow at dawn he leaves!”

“Can he even cook?” Roderich asked. He had finally stopped panting and was as composed and aristocratic as usual.

“You bet I can, ve~!” Feliciano beamed. “I’ll make you the best pasta you’ve ever had!”

And so the Seven Germanics took Feliciano to their house. It was a nice house; two stories, beige and white, and built exactly to fire-safety and earthquake-safety standards. The only thing that was wrong with the house was the lack of windows.

“All our windows broke a while ago in a storm,” Elizabeta explained, “and we’ve tried to order more glass from the nearest city, but the contractors can never seem to find our house.”

“It’s not exactly a problem yet, since the weather right now is nice, but a lot of dirt and dust blows into the house while we’re gone,” Lili said. “Ludwig and Gilbert usually clean up the house as soon as we get home, but now….” She looked back at Ludwig and Gilbert, who were both unconscious and being carried by an angry Vash.

“No problemo!” Feliciano beamed, rolling up his sleeves. “I’m good at cleaning too! Ve~!”

* * *

Two hours later, Feliciano had cleaned out the house and cooked dinner for the Seven Germanics. His pasta was, indeed, the best they had ever eaten. The meatballs, made using some of the wurst that filled the Germanics’ refrigerator, were so good that they even revived Ludwig and Gilbert from their comas. 

All of the Germanics, including the cat, were so delighted with Feliciano’s work that they decided he could stay at their house indefinitely as long as he cleaned the house while they were off hunting and cooked dinner for them.

For the first few days of his new job, Feliciano continually worried about his brother and the palace. He missed his friends and the familiarity of home. But by the time a week had passed, he found that he loved his new home just as much—perhaps even more so.

Feliciano had enjoyed life at the palace. He’d had fun with his friends and the staff and the visitors, but somehow he’d often felt lonely there. Lovino was working most of the time and there was nothing for him to do. He’d tried to make himself useful by helping with the cleaning and cooking, but he’d never felt truly needed.

Here, at the Seven Germanics’ house, Feliciano felt like he had a purpose for the first time. The Seven Germanics were very busy people; they gathered firewood and wild game not only for themselves, but also to sell in town; they maintained a garden, and sold the excess in town; and they made and took care of their own weapons, and took on weapon and tool commissions from townspeople. Feliciano couldn’t help with most of their work, but he could take care of the garden, the chores, and the meals. That gave his new friends more time to complete their day’s tasks and allowed them the downtime to relax afterward. Feliciano felt useful. And although the Germanics were gone most of the day, he wasn’t lonely because he had his cat and Germany Cat to keep him company.

Feliciano also grew to like all of the Germanics on a personal level.

Elizabeta was the easiest to get along with, since she was nice to everyone (except Gilbert). They both liked singing, gardening, and gossiping. They had bonded quickly and easily. 

Despite their rough first impression, Feliciano had become fast friends with Ludwig. The blond was actually something of a softie—even though he yelled at Feliciano all the time and made him exercise, he also made sure that Feliciano had everything he needed and gave him things to do so he was never bored.

Lili and Feliciano became friends over picnics, flower crowns, and their love of small fluffy animals. She had even let him try on one of her dresses once, which had been fun.

Vash was hard to approach, but once he had determined that Feliciano wasn’t a danger to Lili and was even a good friend to her, he at least bothered to talk to Feliciano sometimes. Feliciano understood that his hostility had been concern for his sister, and he liked him despite his awkwardness.

Gilbert thought everything was funny and took to teasing Feliciano like he teased the rest of the Germanics, but Feliciano didn’t mind. It made him feel like part of the family. Gilbert also had a lot of cleaning tips that Feliciano hadn’t known before.

Roderich was very snotty and haughty, but Feliciano was used to dealing with those types from his time in the palace talking to lords, advisors, and visiting royals. Once he discovered that Roderich also liked cooking pastries and desserts, they bonded over sweets. Feliciano also liked sitting next to Roderich while he played the piano.

Overall, Feliciano was very content in the Seven Germanics house. But he still wondered often how Lovino and his friends were doing.

* * *

One day, as the Seven Germanics were preparing to leave, Ludwig paused and turned to Feliciano. “You can take today off,” he said.

“Ve?! What would I do on a day off here?” Feliciano asked, his heart sinking. Was he not needed anymore?

Ludwig pulled out a small purse of money and tossed it to Feliciano. It hit him on the head. “You don’t have to stay here, idiot. That’s why it’s a day off. Go into town, buy something, talk to people. Do whatever airheads do on their days off. You’ve been working a lot recently, so if you don’t get a break you’ll probably go on strike. This is a preemptive measure!”

Feliciano brightened. He picked up the purse and saluted. “Alright, I understand! I’ll have fun today for sure! Ve~!”

And so Feliciano went into town. It was much smaller than the city near the palace, but the bustle and business of it was familiar enough. Feliciano weighed the pouch in his hand and pondered what he would do with it. Should he buy gifts for the Seven Germanics?

Just then, Feliciano heard a distressed cry: “Ay ay ay, the pasta is ruined! What will I do now?”

The pasta-obsessed former(?) prince turned toward the exclamation and saw a man crouched mournfully in an alley next to a restaurant. Before him was a pot. The man sighed. “Abel is going to be so mad at me…. I wonder if I’ll get fired….”

Feliciano immediately saw an opportunity to be helpful and have fun doing something he liked. He bounded over to the man with a beaming smile. “Ciao! I like making pasta! I can help you! My name is Feliciano, vee~”

The young man looked up, his green eyes sparkling with hope. “You’ll help me? _Qué buena suerte_! You’re a lifesaver, Feliciano! I’m Antonio.”

“Nice to meet you! Don’t worry, we’ll have the pasta fixed up in no time! Vee~!”

And so the two got to work making pasta. The result was so delicious that word got out quickly and drew in customers, so Abel the stingy manager didn’t punish Antonio for letting a stranger into the kitchen. When the busy business day ended and they closed up shop, Abel turned to Feliciano.

“You’re a pretty good cook and waiter. Are you looking for a job?”

“Veee~” Feliciano waved his hands in front of him sheepishly. “I already have a job housekeeping for the Seven Germanics in the woods. Today was actually my day off, vee…”

Abel frowned. “That’s unfortunate. Can you work one day a week? You drew in many customers today, so I will pay you fairly for your labor.”

“Ve, I think that will work!” Feliciano said with a smile. “I liked working here very much! I’ll ask the Seven Germanics if I can take Saturdays off.”

With that, Feliciano skipped home to the Germanics’ house. “Ve, I’m back, everybody!” he announced as he burst through the door. “Today I cooked pasta at the Delicious Tomato Restaurant! Can I have Saturdays off to work there?”

Ludwig looked up from the wurst he was making with a frown and furrowed brows. “Feliciano! It’s not a day off if you work somewhere else!”

“But I had fun, ve~” Feliciano protested. “It didn’t feel like work!”

Ludwig looked ready to argue some more, but Elizabeta cut him off. “I don’t see why Feliciano can’t work there, if he likes it so much.”

“Vee~! Thank you, Elizabeta!” cheered Feliciano. “Don’t worry, I’ll work hard and have lots of fun!”

* * *

In a matter of weeks, the Delicious Tomato had risen from a simple local restaurant to a kingdom-wide legend. The food was so good—the pasta especially—and Feliciano was so popular that people came from all over to eat there. The restaurant was so busy on Saturdays that the line extended out the shop door all day. Abel had to hurriedly install more tables and chairs and hire new waiters and chefs. 

Word about the Delicious Tomato even reached the palace—but not the pseudo-king Lovino, because Lovino failed at talking to people casually and was never in on the gossip.

Which is why Lovino didn’t hear about the Delicious Tomato from a fellow human.

Lovino didn’t think about where Feliciano might be doing or where he might be. Having the annoyance gone made his days much less stressful, and allowed him to get the palace in order at last. Everything was going perfectly for him, he thought to himself one day as he checked himself out in the mirror.

Just then, Toris the magic mirror sighed. “Man, sometimes I really wish I was human. Feliks has been raving about this place—the Delicious Tomato Restaurant—for days now. Apparently it’s got the best pasta and really good service. Aah, I wish I could eat…”

“Sounds like a good place,” Lovino remarked absently.

“Yeah,” Toris said. “Oh, and apparently Feliciano is working there now. Feliks met him there and they caught up together.”

Lovino froze in the process of putting on his nicest cloak. His hair curl twitched. “Feliciano. Is there?”

“Uh.” Suddenly, Toris felt inexplicably nervous. “Yes?”

“FUCK!”

* * *

After an undignified and never-again-to-be-mentioned temper tantrum, Lovino decided that Feliciano had to be dealt with more permanently. He had sent his younger brother away to escape his infuriating shadow, only for Feliciano to eclipse him from other side of the kingdom.

Well, no more, Lovino thought.

That day he stormed out to Arthur’s hut and banged on his door. “Oi, you stupid excuse of a witch! You didn’t get rid of Feliciano!”

Arthur opened his door with a scowl. “What the bloody fuck are you on about?! Of course I did!”

“No, you didn’t! Now he’s famous again because he’s some stupid hot-shot chef in some stupid village restaurant! I need something to get rid of him permanently!”

“Well, I’m not going to kill him, and I can’t be bothered to go all the way over there. What do you want?”

“I don’t know!” Lovino yelled. “Something that will make him shut up and stop showing me up! Anything!”

Arthur sighed, but retreated into his hut and returned with a vial of clear liquid. “Fine, here’s some poison. If you want him gone so bad, you can go and give it to him yourself, you annoying wanker. Now leave. Oh, and don’t forget your payment.”

“Fine,” Lovino muttered sullenly.

* * *

The next day, Lovino disguised himself with a dark cloak and set out to for the Delicious Tomato with a basket of ripe red tomatoes. He had poured the poison on the reddest, plumpest tomato and was planning to pose as a tomato farmer with produce for the restaurant. He would find Feliciano, offer him the poisoned tomato to try, and then Feliciano would finally stop being better and more popular than him!

Unfortunately, Lovino had made a small oversight. He couldn’t take a carriage to the town if he wanted to remain inconspicuous, so he chose to walk—but he wasn’t used to walking so much. By the time he got to the town, his feet hurt and he had discarded the hot cloak. He limped panting into the Delicious Tomato, which didn’t have many customers that evening, and collapsed in the closest chair. He was so exhausted that he had all but forgotten his revenge plan. Revenge was too much work to think about just then.

While Lovino caught his breath, a cheery waiter with green eyes approached him. “Hola, Señor! You look hot and tired, can I get you some ice water?”

“Yes, please,” Lovino wheezed, face red and sweaty from exertion.

A moment later, the waiter placed a cold glass in front of Lovino, which he gulped down desperately. When he finished, he fixed the waiter with a glare to ward off any malicious teasing, but the waiter’s smile was open and nothing but innocently happy. Lovino’s glare faltered.

“I’m Antonio, I’ll be your waiter for the night! Here’s our menu.”

Lovino glanced at the menu. His eyes immediately picked out the word “pasta,” which reminded him of his mission. “Is Feliciano here?” he blurted.

“Ah, no,” Antonio replied, smile turning somewhat sheepish. “He doesn’t work here today. I’m sorry if you wanted him to be your waiter—I know he’s better at it than me. I’m a little clumsy and I’m only good at making instant coffee, but I’ll do my best tonight!”

Lovino was so flustered by the unexpected hitch in his plan and by the waiter’s earnestness that his face turned red and he began to stutter. “Ah, n-no, you’re f-fine,” he stumbled.

Antonio smiled wider. “Ah, your face is red like a tomato! It’s very cute.”

Lovino’s face became even redder, this time with embarrassment and rage. “D-don’t make fun of me!” he snapped.

Antonio’s smile faltered and he looked confused. “I wasn’t? I just think red is a cool color and tomatoes are the best. My face never turns such a nice color.”

Hazel eyes widened. Lovino stammered, “I… I, uh…”

“I really do think you’re cute,” Antonio said gently, “but I won’t tease you anymore if it makes you uncomfortable. I’ll give you some time to decide on your order.”

With that, Antonio refilled Lovino’s glass and turned away. Without those intense green eyes staring at him, Lovino gathered himself and looked at the menu. He had walked all the way here and was hungry and tired, so he might as well get some food. 

Several minutes later, when Antonio returned to his table, Lovino was ready and composed. He ordered confidently without blushing or stuttering, but his tone came off as cold and aloof. Antonio didn’t seem offended, though; he only smiled with the same sincerity and cheer as earlier.

The food turned out to be okay, nothing special by Lovino’s standards, but as he was leaving Antonio called out, “Please come back again soon!” and Lovino waved back with a small smile. 

He would be returning to the Delicious Tomato. But only because he still had revenge to carry out.

* * *

A few days later, Lovino once again donned his disguise and headed out for the Delicious Tomato. This time he wore sturdier shoes and took the public stagecoach, even though it was stuffy and full of dirty people. 

Once again, Lovino was greeted at the Delicious Tomato by Antonio, and once again Feliciano wasn’t there. Lovino kept the basket of tomatoes under the table and ordered lunch. The trip wasn’t a complete waste, though, because Antonio chatted with him and smiled that blinding smile. Lovino felt awkward at first, but Antonio was such a good conversationalist and such an earnest listener that Lovino quickly forgot his reservations and responded with equal excitement, his voice rising and his hands waving. Talking to Antonio was more relaxing than a long massage.

Lovino actually felt disappointed when his meal was over and he had to leave. He resolved to return.

After all, his revenge still hadn’t been met.

* * *

For several weeks, Lovino went to the Delicious Tomato every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. At each visit, he felt less and less annoyed to learn that Feliciano wasn’t there, and every visit he talked a little longer to the happy waiter with green eyes who liked tomatoes, the color red, playing the guitar, and dancing. 

Every visit Antonio learned a little more about the young man who liked gelato and lillies, who liked when people listened to him, and who got fired up and angry about the smallest things. Soon he was spending so much time at Lovino’s table that Abel had to yell at him to get back to work.

One evening, Antonio said, “Hey Lovino, my shift ends soon, and there’s a festival tonight. Will you go to the festival with me?”

Lovino blushed the pretty red that Antonio loved so much, stuttered a little, then finally agreed.

“Fantastic! I can’t wait!” Antonio beamed.

“Me neither,” Lovino replied shyly.

When Antonio’s shift was over, he threw off his apron in record time and bounded out the door to meet Lovino. “Alright, I’m ready to go! What do you want to see first?”

“Let’s look at the vendors.”

Lovino and Antonio window shopped for a while, but were too absorbed in talking to each other to really appreciate the goods for sale. They wandered through the busy, vibrant street until they came to the town square where a band had set up and people were dancing.

“Lovino, let’s dance!” Antonio cheered, pulling Lovino toward the dancers.

“Let go, bastard!” Lovino snapped, pulling back. “I don’t know how to dance to this kind of music!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll lead you! Following is really easy,” Antonio reassured him.

Before Lovino could protest any more, Antonio swept him into the dance, and just as he had promised, following was easy. Lovino didn’t know the steps, but he let his body follow Antonio’s cues and stepped wherever felt most natural, and it worked. They flew across the square, weaving between couples and twirling around corners, and soon Lovino found himself laughing with exhilaration alongside Antonio. By the time the song ended, Lovino was gasping for air and smiling so hard his cheeks hurt.

As Lovino paused to catch his breath, the next song began, and Lovino recognized it as a tango. He smirked; here was a dance he knew. And why should he let Antonio do all the leading? Time for him to take control.

“My turn,” he said lowly, changing his grip on Antonio’s arms. Antonio smiled and let him take the lead.

They danced like that for hours, taking turns leading and laughing together. When they were finally too tired to keep dancing, they took a quiet walk by the woods. They strolled in comfortable silence for a while.

“Hey, Antonio,” Lovino said suddenly. “Why aren’t you mad at Feliciano?”

“Hm?” Antonio hummed. “How do you mean?”

“Well, he outshines you as a chef and waiter,” Lovino began haltingly. “Don’t you resent him for it? Aren’t you jealous?”

Antonio thought about it for a moment, eyes turned upward at the stars. Then he shrugged. “Not really.”

“Why not?” Lovino demanded.

“Well,” said Antonio, “Feliciano is good at those things, but I’m good at other things. We’re different people, so of course we have different strengths and weaknesses. As long as I’m living comfortably, enjoying life, I don’t care if other people are better at certain things than me, so I have no reason to be jealous.”

They continued in silence for another long moment. Finally, Lovino said, “I have something I need to tell you.”

“Okay?”

“Feliciano is my brother.”

Antonio smiled knowingly. “I see. And you’re jealous of him?”

“Of course,” Lovino scowled. “Everybody likes Feliciano, everybody praises him, and nobody pays attention to me even when I’ve done more than him. It’s not fair.”

Antonio hummed thoughtfully. “It’s true that Feliciano is better at making friends, but you’re a better leader and you’re better at setting goals and achieving them. And you’re very charming when you want to be. You’re different people. And even if he’s better than you at some things, he can’t outshine you if you be yourself as passionately as you can. It’s pointless to say one person is better than another, but personally, I like you much more than I like Feliciano.”

Suddenly Antonio stopped walking to face Lovino. “Actually, Lovino, I don’t just like you—I love you. Will you go out with me?”

Lovino blushed bright red. “Fine, you bastard. God, you’re embarrassing.”

“I’m so happy!” Antonio beamed and threw his arms around Lovino in a hug. “Lovino, I love you so mu~ch!”

“Tch! …I like you too.”

Lovino waited for Antonio to pull back, but instead the other man just nuzzled his neck and squeezed tighter. Lovino counted down to ten and resolved to push him off at zero. He got down to one, but then jumped back to five. He tried again starting at ten, then gave up and laid his head on Antonio’s shoulder.

“…Antonio?”

“Mm?”

“I have something else I have to tell you.”

“Yes?”

“I’m the prince—actually, I’m more like the king. Yeah. I’m king.”

“What?” Antonio pulled back with a confused expression to look Lovino in the face. Then he smiled again. “ _Qué sorpresa_! But that doesn’t change how much I love you in any way.”

* * *

Later that night, after Antonio and Lovino said their goodbyes, Lovino lingered on the edge of the forest and looked at the tomato he had brought with him that day out of habit. All the other tomatoes had dried out and shriveled up, but this one remained as fresh and plump as the day it was poisoned. That day he had carried it in a belt pouch, but he hadn’t thought about it at all.

Lovino replayed Antonio’s words from earlier and regarded the tomato. Finally, he made a decision and threw the tomato into the forest. Then he turned and started home.

* * *

The next day, as Feliciano was returning home to the Germanics’ cottage from his work in town, he happened upon a ripe red tomato sitting on the ground. “Vee~! Look at this! A tomato, just sitting there! The tomato fairies must be smiling on me!” He picked up the tomato and skipped all the way home.

The Germanics weren’t there when Feliciano got back, so he set about making pasta for dinner. He set the tomato aside. He sang happily as he worked. When he had finished straining the pasta and putting the sauce in, he transferred the noodles from the pot to a serving bowl and carried it to the table. Then he grabbed his tomato, sat down, and ate the whole thing in a few bites.

It was then that the curse took ahold. Feliciano instantly fell asleep, unable to awake without true love’s kiss. His limp body sagged and he flopped face first into the pasta bowl—

And immediately sat upright again, sauce all over his face and a noodle sticking to his forehead. “Vee, did I almost fall asleep? Maybe I’ll eat now and go to bed instead of waiting up for the Germanics, ve… Yeah, I’ll do that. I love pasta! Ve~”

* * *

And so Feliciano continued to live with and work for the Seven Germanics, where he filled his days with singing and cats and making pasta.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Lovino took Antonio as his fiancé. Lovino became happier and more social, and people began to acknowledge him as the rightful king. King Romulus drunkenly handed over the title officially to his first son in a disorganized ceremony. Two years later, King Lovino and Antonio got married. And they loved each other for the rest of their days.

(Eventually, Lovino reconnected with Feliciano and the brothers made amends—but that’s another story entirely.)

**Author's Note:**

> Strega — Italian — Witch  
> Qué buena suerte! — Spanish — “What good luck!”  
> Qué sorpresa! — Spanish — “What a surprise!”


End file.
